Tonight the Islanders host the Panthers in the Isles’ final home game of the shortened season. After tonight, they’ll head off on the road for five more games to close out the year. Every game is important for two points, but tonight the Isles will have a great chance to earn them as the Panthers come in as the worst team in the league.

Florida sits dead last in the NHL in points with 32, and have lost their last two games by a combined 10-3 margin. Young goalie Jacob Markstrom has been getting the work lately with Jose Theodore out and Scott Clemmensen’s save percentage at a horrendous .876, but Markstrom was in net for those two last two losses. The Panthers have managed to surrender 142 goals thus far, the most in the league. There’s not much good to say about this team, aside from the fact that 19-year old Jonathan Huberdeau looks like he’ll be a real good player someday. Huberdeau has 27 points in his first 41 NHL games this season, good for second on the team.

For the Islanders, you can bet that Evgeni Nabokov will be back in net again tonight, making his 37th start of the season. On defense, there will be a lot of decisions to make; Brian Strait and Joe Finley are off IR, giving the Islanders nine defenders on the active roster. We’ll have the lineup updates for you when they are announced.

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